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What causes people to fall for misinformation? While the answer is complex, psychologist Lisa Fazio said one reason is because it’s appealing to the brain. False narratives can “provide simple answers for what’s wrong [in the world] and how they can fix it,” she said. Psychologically speaking, a person who has internalized misinformation can correct […]

“Major news organizations like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times were publicly criticized following coverage of an Oct. 17 blast at a Gaza hospital complex that killed at least 100 people and possibly hundreds more. Initial reports and news alerts conveyed statements from Palestinian officials who said the blast was caused by […]

If we limit our news and opinion information consumption to publications that we agree with, we are looking at the world through myopic lenses and miss many other valid arguments/ideas. As always, look for evidence for any argument/idea and also verify the source as credible. Here is a quick study of confirmation bias that we […]

Save the dates! The annual National News Literacy Week (Jan. 23-27) is presented in partnership with The E. W Scripps Company. This year’s NNLW theme is trust: What makes a source of news or information trustworthy or credible? And why is trust important in news consumption? Each day of the week will feature events, resources […]

To verify an image you find in a news story or social media post, do a reverse image search to see if it has been altered or misrepresented.

From: Elizabeth Gilbert from Big Think November 8, 2022 Learn to identify common misinformation techniques with these five videos. The techniques include: 1)emotional language to induce fear, anger or contempt 2)Incoherence like using multiple arguments about the same topic which cannot all be true 3) False dichotomies such as falsely presenting sides or choices as […]

David Oxenford, a digital media lawyer said political speech is protected under the first amendment. Then why did some media outlets ban ads they claimed contained untruths? Watch this short video from YouTube.

The following is taken directly from the News Literacy Project: “Elections are the lifeblood of democracy, but political campaigns are often rancorous, controversial and polarizing events. As if the misleading claims and attack ads weren’t challenging enough for the public, bad actors further muddy the waters by pushing disinformation into our social media feeds. These […]

A single mom in Mississippi embraced multiple conspiracy theories until one day she questioned the validity of an acquaintance’s claim that the Earth is flat. Karen Robertson, 30, shared her journey out of belief in conspiracy theories with a student reporter from PBS Student Reporting Labs. She said a previous abusive relationship led her to […]